The Extra is a Hero?-Chapter 231: THE LONG FLIGHT HOME [2]

Chapter 227: The Long Flight Home [2]

The adrenaline crash was worse than the battle itself.

It hit me the moment I stepped out of the cargo hold and into the plush, carpeted corridor of the Celestial Wind’s lower deck.

My knees buckled, and I had to lean against the wall, breathing in the scent of lavender and polished mahogany that permeated the airship.

It was a jarring, almost nauseating contrast.

Minutes ago, I had been breathing ozone, demonic sulfur, and the dust of a collapsing city. Now, I was in a floating 5-star hotel, surrounded by silence so deep it felt artificial.

"Safe," I whispered again, testing the word on my tongue.

I checked my inventory one last time. The [Void-Heart Fragment] was secure. The [Fenra’s Eye] ring was dormant on my finger. And in the cargo hold behind me, locked in a lead-lined chest disguised as trash, slept the most dangerous weapon in the world.

"Mission accomplished."

I pushed myself off the wall and made my way to the nearest washroom.

The mirror revealed a disaster. My Academy uniform was torn at the shoulder, stained with soot and grime. My face was a mask of dirt—some applied by me for the "helpless student" act, some genuine fallout from the battle.

I turned on the faucet. The water was warm, powered by a heating crystal. I scrubbed my face until the skin was raw, watching the grey water swirl down the drain.

"You’re just a student," I told my reflection. "A lucky, scavenging student."

I fixed my hair, adjusted my torn collar, and walked out. I needed to find my team.

[The Celestial Wind – Observation Lounge]

The Celestial Wind was designed for luxury, a stark contrast to the grime of Rolune or the terrifying heights of the Tower.

The Observation Lounge was a cavernous room with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, offering a panoramic view of the clouds. Velvet sofas were arranged in conversational clusters, and golems in tuxedos glided silently across the floor, serving drinks.

Right now, the lounge was a field hospital for the elite.

Students were scattered everywhere. Some were sleeping on the sofas, too exhausted to move. Others were being attended to by the ship’s medical golems, blue healing lights flickering over their wounds.

I found Team Anomaly in a corner booth, away from the main crowd.

They looked like they had been through a meat grinder.

Alex Vonstel was slumped in an armchair, his reinforced shield resting against his knees. He was staring out the window at the receding silhouette of Sky Island, a half-eaten sandwich in his hand.

Kaelen Vance was asleep sitting up, his head resting on the table, snoring softly.

The Twins, Finn and Freya, were playing a silent game of cards, though their movements were sluggish.

Gideon Mortis was examining a vial of black ichor he had apparently scraped off a Void Beast, his expression one of scientific fascination.

And Seraphina Croft sat with her back straight, sipping tea, though her hand trembled slightly every time the cup touched the saucer.

"Chief," Alex said, spotting me. He didn’t stand up—he looked like he physically couldn’t—but his eyes lit up. "You made it."

"I made it," I said, sliding into the booth next to Seraphina. "Sorry I’m late. Had to make sure the... luggage was secure."

" luggage?" Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "You disappeared during the climax of the battle to save luggage?"

"History," I corrected, grabbing a sandwich from the platter on the table. "I saved history. And some old books. Evelyn gave me extra credit for it."

Seraphina scoffed, but there was no bite in it. "Of course she did. While Leon was becoming a legend, you were playing librarian."

"Leon can have the legend," I said, taking a bite. "I prefer being alive."

"He really did it, though," Alex murmured, looking toward the center of the room.

I followed his gaze.

Leon Lionheart sat with his team near the bar. He was bandaged heavily, his golden armor stripped off to reveal a simple undershirt stained with dried blood.

But the atmosphere around him was different.

Before, students looked at him with admiration or jealousy. Now, they looked at him with reverence.

He wasn’t just the protagonist of the story anymore; he was the savior of Sky Island. The boy who ignited the White Flame.

Even Eric William, sitting a few tables away, seemed subdued. He wasn’t glaring. He was staring at his own hands, likely replaying the battle in his mind, calculating the gap that had just opened between him and the Lionheart.

"He fought an SS-Rank army," Gideon noted without looking up from his vial. "And his flame changed color. Scientifically speaking, the temperature required to turn mana-fire white is... significant."

"He broke his limits," I said. "That’s what heroes do."

"And us?" Kaelen mumbled, lifting his head sleepily. "What did we do?"

"We survived," I said. "We cleared the Tower first. We secured the highest score in the Academy’s history. And we didn’t die when the sky fell. I’d say that’s a good week."

"A week," Seraphina whispered, looking out at the clouds. "It feels like a year."

She turned to me, her blue eyes searching mine.

"You knew, didn’t you?"

"Knew what?"

"That something was going to happen. The speed you cleared the Tower. The way you armed us. The way you... positioned yourself." She lowered her voice. "You knew the attack was coming."

I took a sip of water, keeping my face impassive.

"I prepare for the worst, Seraphina. That’s my talent. I don’t predict the future; I just assume the future is going to try to kill me."

She stared at me for a long moment, then sighed, leaning back into the velvet cushion.

"Well," she said, closing her eyes. "You were right. Again."

The ship hummed, the vibration soothing the rattled nerves of the students.

For the first time in days, there was no countdown. No timer. No mana bar ticking down.

We were safe.

"Rest," I told them. "We have a long flight back to Arcadia."

I leaned my head back, closing my eyes. But I didn’t sleep. I kept my [Quantum Analysis Mind] active, monitoring the ship’s perimeter, waiting.

The calm was nice. But in this world, calm was usually just the loading screen for the next disaster.

[Two Hours Later]

The quiet of the lounge was broken by a chime.

"Attention passengers," the captain’s voice announced. "We have cleared the turbulence zone. We are cruising at altitude. Also, the Council has restored the global comms network. Live feeds are now available."

A massive holographic crystal in the center of the lounge flickered to life. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Instantly, the room woke up. Students sat up, rubbing their eyes. Instructors drifted in from the hallways.

The screen displayed the logo of the Arcadian News Network, the bold letters rotating over a backdrop of the burning Sky Island.

[BREAKING NEWS: THE SKYFALL INCIDENT]

The image shifted to a reporter standing on a floating platform near the edge of the devastated island. Smoke billowed in the background, but the barrier was gone.

"This is Lyra Vance, reporting live from the perimeter of Sky Island," the reporter said, her voice breathless. "The Council has confirmed that the demonic siege has been broken. The SS-Rank entity known as the ’Void Walker’ has been neutralized."

A cheer went up in the lounge. Some students clapped. Leon just watched, his face unreadable.

"However," the reporter continued, "the story today isn’t just about the Council’s intervention. It is about the miraculous defense mounted before they arrived."

The screen cut to footage taken from a drone during the height of the battle.

It showed the ruins of the luxury district. It showed the Mana Knights frozen and useless.

And it showed the students.

"With the city’s defenses compromised, the evacuation of civilians fell to an unlikely group of heroes," the reporter narrated.

The footage zoomed in.

It showed Leon Lionheart, wreathed in white fire, holding back a tide of black wolves while a group of terrified elven tourists ran to safety.

It showed Alastor Greythorn dueling the Juggernaut.

And then, it showed something else.

It showed a montage of other students.

Eric William, casting a massive barrier of light to shield a family of dwarves from falling debris.

Chris Blackthorn, using his tower shield to bridge a gap in a collapsed walkway so civilians could cross.

Even my team made the cut. There was a blurry shot of Alex and Seraphina helping wounded civilians onto a transport skiff near the docks.

The screen cut back to the reporter, who was now standing next to an elderly elven woman.

"I’m here with Elder Maelis, a resident of Sector 4. Maelis, can you tell us what happened?"

The elf looked shaken, clutching a blanket around her shoulders.

"The sky turned red," she whispered, her voice trembling. "The monsters... they came from everywhere. The Knights stopped moving. We thought we were dead."

She looked up at the camera, her eyes filling with tears.

"But then... the children came."

The lounge went dead silent.

"The students," Maelis corrected herself, wiping her eyes. "They wore the uniforms of the Arcadia Hunter Academy. They were so young. But they didn’t run. They stood in front of us. They fought the darkness with swords and magic."

She pointed a shaking finger at the ruins behind her.

"A boy with golden hair... he burned like a sun. He told us to run. He stayed behind to fight the demons so we could get to the boats."

The camera panned to a dwarven merchant standing nearby.

"Aye!" the dwarf shouted, stepping into the frame. "And the noble lad! The one with the white hair! He held up a falling building with his bare magic! Saved my shop! Saved my kin!"

The reporter turned back to the camera, her expression solemn but professional.

"You heard it here first. In the face of an SS-Rank catastrophe, the First-Year Cadets of Arcadia Academy didn’t just survive. They protected."

The headline on the bottom of the screen changed.

[THE HEROES OF TOMORROW: STUDENTS SAVE HUNDREDS IN SKYFALL RESCUE]

The broadcast cut to a studio anchor.

"The Hunter Association has released a statement praising the bravery of the students. Applications for the Arcadia Academy have reportedly tripled in the last hour. The King himself has summoned the Council to discuss commendations."

The screen faded to a compilation of heroic moments—Leon’s fire, Eric’s shield, Alastor’s sword.

The lounge erupted.

This time, the cheers weren’t polite. They were raucous. They were relieved.

"We’re on TV!" Aiden shouted, jumping up on a table, forgetting his injuries. "Did you see me? I was in the background of Leon’s shot! I stabbed a wolf!"

"We saved them," Lyra Braveheart said, staring at the screen, a look of wonder on her face. "We actually saved them."

The mood in the room shifted instantly. The trauma of the battle was replaced by the intoxicating rush of validation.

They weren’t victims of a terrorist attack. They were heroes.

I watched from the corner, sipping my water.

"Perfect," I whispered.

"What is?" Gideon asked, eyeing the screen suspiciously.

"The narrative," I said. "The media is focusing on the heroism. They’re focusing on the students. They’re not asking why the barrier failed. They’re not asking what the Cult was looking for."

I tapped the table.

"The Council needs a win to cover up their security failure. The Academy needs a win to justify sending first-years into a warzone. And the students need a win to cope with the trauma."

"So everyone lies?" Seraphina asked dryly.

"Everyone tells the version of the truth that lets them sleep at night," I corrected.

I looked at the screen again. They were replaying the footage of Eric William saving me—though the angle made it look like he was saving a civilian, as my face was hidden by the chest I was carrying.

"And it gives us cover," I added mentally.

While the world was busy worshipping Leon and Eric, nobody would be looking for the student who walked away with a lead chest.

"We’re going to be famous," Alex said, looking a little green. "I don’t know if I’m ready for that."

"You’re the top-ranked tank of the #1 Squad," I reminded him. "Get used to it. Buy a better suit."

I stood up.

"Where are you going?" Kaelen asked.

"To sleep," I lied. "Real sleep. Wake me up when we dock in Arcadia."

I walked out of the lounge, leaving the celebration behind.

I needed to check on the cargo.

And I needed to prepare.

The "Sky Island Arc" had ended with a victory for the heroes.

But the "Awakening Arc" was about to begin. And if my game knowledge was correct, the Cult wasn’t going to take this loss lying down.

They had lost the Sword. They had lost the element of surprise.

Next time, they wouldn’t send monsters. They would send assassins.

And they would be aiming for the "Heroes of Tomorrow."

As I walked down the quiet corridor, I couldn’t help but smile.

"Let them come," I whispered, feeling the weight of the Ring on my finger.

I was ready to play the next level.

(To be continued)